Today’s project involves a case where security features on some locks work against their designs, as well as how the situation was resolved to this customer’s satisfaction.
The call came from the lady’s daughter, who needed a locksmith in Gateshead to help. The way it was explained to me was that her mom had a night latch on her front door, which she kept putting the snib on. She would leave the property by the back door but was then unable to return via the front door because the snib was on, which prevented the key from turning in the lock.
Her ideal resolution was to simply remove the snib from the night latch, although the night latch was also starting to “stick” and misbehave at times. The lady told herself she would ask the local Gateshead locksmith to get a new night latch with the snib taken off.
A family member had already had a go and bought another lock to be fitted, but that new lock needed work on the door to be fitted because it was not a ‘like for like.’ In my van, I already had such a ‘like for like’ in the correct colour, so I opened the lock and took the relevant parts out while keeping the rest intact (see pictures for a visual). The result was exactly what was needed: it was now impossible to put the snib on from the inside, which meant the lady would be able to get back inside her home without any trouble.
I advised that since the snib was off this could cause some security issues, but the door was also fitted with a mortice lock, so I advised this lock should be used whenever the house was vacant for an extended amount of time, as well as at night, to minimise the risk of the missing snib feature being taken advantage of.
As a local locksmith in Gateshead, it is part of my duty to educate people I work with on the security implications of modifying locks; also to provide guidance on how to mitigate any circumstances that could impair their property’s security. In this case, using the mortice dead lock fitted on that same door would negate any security risk, which is why most wooden doors are fitted with them, along with night latches as standard.
If you need an efficient and prompt locksmith in Gateshead for lock modification, call AD Locksmithing on 07865 367298.
Published: 4th September, 2023 | Updated: 9th February, 2024